Claims

2. The process of claim 1, wherein said step of reacting intermediate A with a cyanide-bearing reagent comprises reacting intermediate A with acetone cyanohydrin in ethanol, in the presence of a catalytic amount of NaCN.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of reacting intermediate A with a cyanide-bearing reagent comprises reacting intermediate A with TMSCI, KI and NaCN in acetonitrile.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said bromination of intermediate B is performed in methylene chloride, and wherein a reaction mixture formed thereby is washed with aqueous sodium carbonate and sodium thiosulfate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the reduction of a benzylic carbon-halogen bond of intermediate C is effected in N-methylpyrrolidinone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said selective hydrolysis is achieved by heating intermediate D in polyphosphoric acid.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said selective hydrolysis of intermediate D is achieved by combining said intermediate with 80 percent sulfuric acid at room temperature for a period of at least six hours.

8. The method of synthesizing ADCI, comprising the following reaction scheme: ##STR3## a) i) converting dibenzosubernone to 2 in the presence of TiCl.sub.4 and NH.sub.3, in Toluene, at 25.degree. C., for 16 h, resulting in yield;

ii) converting 2 to 3 in acetone in the presence of cyanohydrin, NaCN (cat) and EtOH;

iii) converting 3 to 4 in CH.sub.2 Cl.sub.2 in the presence of Br.sub.2, at 25.degree. C., for 1 h; followed by workup with Na.sub.2 S.sub.2 O.sub.3 (aq), and repeat resulting in yield;

iv) converting 4 to 5 in the presence of NaBH.sub.3 CN, NMP, at 100.degree. C., for 40 min resulting in yield; and

v) converting 5 to 1 in the presence of PPA, at 100.degree. C., for 30 min resulting in yield; and

b) wherein Steps iii-v in this scheme involve aqueous workups with 10% Na.sub.2 CO.sub.3.